We accomplished a lot today in the Campaign Finance and Ethics working group. We worked on legislation that will leave contributions the same, while adding more public transparency for PACs and local elections. bit.ly/2xSqTzA#Marv4LtGov#idpol

We heard from the Lobbyists, County Clerks and the Sec of State as well. We have some issues with reporting information that can then be easily used by the public. We also have some issues with PAC reporting if where their funding comes from and how it’s used. We discussed some potential solutions and reviewed some draft legislation. Next meeting will be in October where we will discuss draft legislation focusing on these issues. #Marv4LtGov#idpolbit.ly/2iEcSyx

Grateful today to both Dr. Robert Jackson and Dr. Kara C. Taggart for their”Improving Men’s Health in our Community” presentation provided to the Meridian/Eagle St. Luke’s Advisory Council, as well as the assistance and additional information provided by Nate Robinson, Practice Manager, Mountain States Urology. They discussed their efforts and the need for a Men’s Health Center in the area and it appears they are having good success. Below are some takeaways we men need to start considering:
1. Significant gender disparities exist in healthcare, women take much better care of themselves than men do. If you were born today, us men die an average of 5 years younger than women today unless we change our behavior towards preventive care! 2. Men have a tendency to delay seeking preventative care and as a result”die sooner and live sicker” than women. 3. Improving men’s access and motivation to seek healthcare could have a tremendous impact on the health of men in our region. 4. The integrated nature of St. Luke’s Health System gives us a unique opportunity to provide innovative solutions to challenges specific to providing healthcare to men. 5. Establishment of the Men’s Health Clinic, jointly run by St. Luke’s Family Medicine and St. Luke’s Urology, has created a new access point to help bring men into the healthcare system and ensure their needs are meet in a timely, comprehensive, comfortable, convenient and confidential fashion. It was also interesting to note that Idaho’s community owned St. Luke’s was also selected as one of the top 15 large hospital systems in the nation (out of more than 100 large systems!). I’ve appreciated being on this council and learn more about primary and specialty care being provided and the innovations of the healthcare providers! bit.ly/2vnLbfWbit.ly/2vnLbfW#Marv4LtGovwww.facebook.com/hashtag/marv4ltgov?source=feed_te…40737#idpolwww.facebook.com/hashtag/idpol?source=feed_text&am…40737